


An unexpected bond

by vegastar7



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-12 13:34:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4481177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vegastar7/pseuds/vegastar7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the battle against Onslaught, Pietro is distraught at losing his wife, sister and teammates. While he stays with the X-Men, he finds solidarity with Jean who is willing to help him in his difficult times as she's also trying to avoid problems of her own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Moonlighter for giving me suggestions and proofreading this fic.
> 
> This story happens in the mid 1990s, following Onslaught.  
> It picks up from a scene in X-Men 337 in which Jean Grey comforts Quicksilver.  
> This story explores the possibility of Jean and Pietro forming a relationship. Also, I try to provide some closure as to the situation with Luna, which the comics kept very vague.
> 
> If you're a fan of Cyclops or Professor X, this is not the fic for you as I do paint them in a negative light.

### CHAPTER 1

The kitchen ceiling shook as Iceman, Beast and Cyclops tussled over some meaningless point. Soon laughter erupted. Jean Summers, dutifully making breakfast for the team, smiled to herself. “Kids. If I didn’t know for a fact that the entire world had turned upside down, I’d swear things were back to what passes for normal around here. A week ago, I don’t think any of us believed we’d ever hear the sound of laughter again.”

“Crystal always told me I needed to laugh more,” replied a voice behind her.

Jean Summers cringed; she had forgotten Pietro was with her in the kitchen. He was always so quiet, not just because he was a laconic sort, but his thoughts were hidden from her as well. It was a strange thing, his mutation: super speed endowed him with a very quick mind by necessity. If Jean tried to delve into it, words would flow past her so fast all she could perceive was a faint humming sound.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Pietro. Being around us after losing both your wife and your sister must be agony for…”Jean started.

“Don’t apologize, Jean,” Pietro interrupted. “I’ve got to go on…if only for my daughter’s sake.” Pietro shifted in his seat, staring at the cup he held in his hand. “Staying with you and Cyclops has been …comforting.”

Jean was surprised to hear such a sincere statement from the speedster. She had mostly known Pietro to be an impatient, rash, sometimes irascible man. Clearly, the shock of being parted from the Avengers and his family had made him melancholic.

“You know we’re all here for you and little Luna.” She bent down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to comfort him. Pietro was still in her embrace. He raised one hand to grip her arm, as if pulling her closer to him.

“Yes, and then…” his voice was low, almost to the point of breaking. She squeezed him harder as she shushed him to silence.

Jean didn’t notice the kitchen door open ever so slightly, but Pietro did. He suddenly broke their embrace and ran around the kitchen, setting the table. He asked with a slight blush on his face, “Yes, well is there anything else I can do to help prepare for breakfast?”

Jean still bewildered from this quick change answered, “Uh…no, Pietro. Thank you”. She finally saw Psylocke enter the kitchen, realizing she had startled Pietro. “Betsy, good morning. Isn’t it a little…early…to be in uniform?”

Betsy was drenched from the rain outside, but didn’t seem to mind it. She replied cooly, “Warren won’t be joining us. He is…not feeling well. Good morning,” she added as she left the kitchen.

Pietro looked at Psylocke’s disappearing figure. “And I thought I had trouble connecting emotionally with people.”

Jean Summers almost wanted to smile at Pietro’s impromptu comment. He was more self-aware than she gave him credit for. “You do,” she replied. “Psylocke’s been going through some… changes lately.”

“Haven’t we all?” Pietro said before he ran out of the kitchen.

The morning’s breakfast passed as well as could be expected. Iceman froze Beast’s breakfast, and Gambit was sulking about Rogue or rather complaining about Joseph. Jean noticed Pietro was annoyed with all the commotion around the table, but kept quiet. She supposed the Avengers weren’t in the habit of eating together. Or perhaps, she sighed wistfully, they acted like mature adults and not like a bunch of kids. Once they were finished, Pietro offered to do the dishes. It was his way of repaying the X-Men’s kindness this past week, he said. Jean accepted with some trepidation. A man with super speed handling all their ceramic plates and mugs? This could lead to a lot of broken dishes. She stayed with him in the kitchen to supervise his efforts and was surprised when Pietro actually took his time with the task at hand. “Maybe it’s because he has nothing else to do,” she pondered.

“Do you do the dishes often in the Avengers?” she asked, to break up the silence.

“No. We have Jarvis to take care of most of the housework.”

“I don’t envy him,” Jean added as she sat in a chair.

“Yes, Avengers mansion is quite big. But I think he enjoys the work….at least this is what I gather from his countenance."

“Is that all Jarvis does, or does he have other talents?” she asked jokingly.

Pietro stopped scrubbing a plate, his eyes lost in thought. “He’s looking after Luna right now….

“Oh!” Jean raised her hand to her mouth. It seemed that today, she couldn’t find a line of conversation that didn’t lead back to a painful thought for Pietro.

“You must think I’m a terrible father to leave my child alone like this.” He paused. “In fact, I can’t disagree. What kind of father enlists the butler to take care of his daughter because he’s too much of a coward to face her?”

Jean asked softly, “What stops you from going to her? What are you scared of?”

“I…” he stammered, but then cleared his throat regaining his composure. “As a parent, I can’t imagine ever hurting my child. But now, I’m forced in this situation. I must tell my daughter her mother is gone, and given how painful this realization is to me, I can’t imagine how painful it will be for her.”

Another pause as Pietro put a plate on the drying rack. “I was 11 when I lost my adopted parents, and I developed amnesia from the trauma. She’s only 4. How can I tell her without hurting her?”

Jean didn’t expect a confession from Pietro, moreover she didn’t know what to tell him. Clearly, Pietro had come to the X-Men to avoid his duty as a father…. or maybe in a haphazard way, he came for help. Her mind made up, she approached him, his back still facing her. She laid her hand on his shoulder and he looked back at her.

“Would it help if I was there? It’s easier to deliver bad news with two people…at least I think it would be. ”

Pietro was quiet as he pondered her offer, then replied tentatively, “Can….I mean….could you…use your powers? On my daughter? So she doesn’t hurt as much?”

Jean blinked in surprise. An unethical proposition, but to pacify him this moment, she nodded. A smile spread across his face as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He hugged her, wet hands dripping on her robe. Realizing his faux pas, he separated himself from her just as suddenly as he had embraced her. He looked embarrassed, his hand brushing his hair as he looked to the floor, a furious blush on his face. Jean smiled. Who knew Pietro had these endearing mannerisms? She never guessed Pietro was shy. All along, she thought his aloofness stemmed from his arrogance. 

“Areyoufreetomorrow? Canyoucomewithmethen?” he blurted out.

“Of course!” was her reply.

That night, she explained to Scott her plans for tomorrow. “That’s very nice of you. Then Pietro should leave the school tomorrow as well then?”

Jean raised her eyebrow, a bit annoyed at his callousness. “Do you want him gone?”

“Of course not. It’s just, I get worried with him here, so close to Magneto…Things have been so tense lately, with the Professor locked in his study…” Jean winced at the mention of the professor, but tried her best to hide it. She knew that was a sore point with Scott. He continued, “…And then the drama between Gambit, Joseph and Rogue. With Pietro in the mix, it’ll be even harder to keep the team cohesive.”

A very sensible answer, Jean thought. But then, that was one of the traits that had drawn her to him those many years ago “By the way, Jean, did you see the Professor today? He asked about you.”

Jean replied nervously, “Not today, no. I spent a lot of the day in the kitchen, taking care of the meals.”

“Well, you know you’re not our designated cook. Ask one of the guys to cover for you next time. The Professor is going to start thinking you’re avoiding him if you don’t see him now and then.” He yawned.

“Well…” Jean started. Seeing Scott’s sleepy face, she decided against continuing her sentence. “As soon as I reunite Pietro with his daughter,” was all she promised. She turned her body away from him , her thoughts drifting towards her trip tomorrow, and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

### CHAPTER 2

The next morning seemingly couldn’t come fast enough for Pietro. Jean found him, just before dawn, pacing in his uniform, by the entrance. When he saw her, he rushed towards her. “Woulditbepossibletoleaverightnow?”

Jean was still groggy from sleep and struggled to understand him. “Uh…I’m not ready yet.”

There was a fleeting look of disappointment from him, but he replied, “Yes of course. You need to get dressed. I’m sorry for imposing on you so soon.” 

Jean tried to stifle a yawn. “It’s okay. Just give me like …30 minutes.”

Again, Jean spied a microsecond of unhappiness in his face. “Yes 30 minutes is good. I’ll wait for you here.” 

Thirty-five mines later, Pietro was still nervously pacing as Jean approached him. Taking a clearer look at him, she saw the bags under his eyes and guessed he hadn’t slept a wink.

“Are you ready?” he asked, struggling to talk slowly.

“Yes, let’s go.”

“How long can you hold your breath?” he followed.

A very non-sequitur question if there ever was, but Jean answered, “About 30 seconds. ”

“Good. It shouldn’t take that long.” He swept her in his arms and instructed, “Close your eyes and hold your breath."

All of a sudden, Jean felt the horrible sensation of extreme acceleration. The wind tore at her hair and exposed skin. She hid her face as best she could against Pietro’s chest counting milliseconds in her head. Just when she thought she couldn’t bear it anymore, Pietro slowed down to a jog as they approached the gate of Avengers mansion.

Jean gasped for breath, “Oh god! That was awful.” Pietro set her down, and she soon crumbled to the floor, panting. “Let’s never do this again. I can’t…I can’t handle it."

Pietro kneeled by her side. “My apologies, Jean. I didn’t mean to cause you this much discomfort.”

“Much?” Jean asked, looking up at him.

“Well, unless you have my mutation, going over Mach 1 isn’t exactly a pleasant experience…or so I’ve been told.”

“Couldn’t you run a bit slower?”

He blushed. “I thought I WAS running slower. But what’s done is done. I promise I won’t run with you again. Are you alright now?” Pietro gave her his hand, which she took as she stood up on her wobbly legs.

“Yes, I’m better now."

They entered the mansion. It was eerily quiet as most of its inhabitants had vanished the week before. Jarvis appeared from a hallway. “Master Pietro! And with Miss Summers! How good it is to see you again!”

“Likewise, Jarvis. I apologize for my long absence and thank you for taking care of Luna,” returned Pietro.

Jarvis approached closer. “I surmise you want to see her right away, sir?”

“Of course. She must be sleeping still."

“Yes, but she’ll be so glad to see you. This past week has been very hard on her."

Pietro winced then in a low voice asked, “Have you told her anything? About what’s happened?”

“Well, she is a small child. I wouldn’t want to overburden her with details far beyond her understanding,” Jarvis paused, averting his eyes. “As to the matter you’re likely referring to, I decided it would be best if a family member would explain to her the fate of her mother and aunt.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Jarvis."

“I’ll leave you to your devices then,” Jarvis bowed and returned to the kitchen.

Jean observed their exchange in silence. She had felt Jarvis’s mild annoyance and anger at Pietro for abandoning the mansion this past week, but he had hidden it well so as not to aggravate the situation. As usual, she couldn’t get a grasp of Pietro’s thoughts.

Pietro led her upstairs and paused behind a door. He turned to her. “Jean, I’ve been thinking. With your powers, it would be so much simpler if you projected an image of Crystal in Luna’s mind. Then you can have Crystal tell her that she’s going away on a mission for a while. It’ll save Luna so much pain to think her mother is still alive out there instead of…” 

Jean’s jaw dropped open. Pietro’s suggestions were getting worse by the day, and she was getting annoyed with his indecisiveness. She reined in her rising temper, “I’m not going to do that, Pietro. Let me make something clear: I have no plans whatsoever of invading your daughter’s mind or lying to her. I came to provide you moral support and nothing more.”

Pietro was both surprised and embarrassed. “Yes you’re right. I’m sorry for bringing this up. Believe me when I say I didn’t mean any harm by it.”

Jean sighed. She shouldn’t have been so aggressive. “Yes, I know,” was her reply.

Bolstered by her answer, he followed, “With the way people keep on coming back from the dead anyway, there’s a chance you wouldn’t be lying to her.”

Jean furrowed her brows together once again.

Pietro gave an uneasy smile. “OK, I’ll stop. See? I’m opening the door.” He opened it slowly, so as not to make a sound. Standing at the threshold, he took a deep breath and went in. Jean followed him.

They approached the crib quietly and peered at the sleeping child within. A wide smile crept over Pietro’s face. Jean had never seen this expression of contentment on his face before. Pietro leaned into the crib and kissed his daughter’s cheek. Luna brushed her hand to her face but remained asleep. He next stroked her face, calling her softly. She tossed her head side to side, trying to escape this pesky intrusion on her slumber. Jean stifled a giggle as she watched Pietro tickling his daughter while she tried desperately to hang on to sleep. Apparently Pietro liked annoying his daughter as well, which was odd considering how a minute ago he was dreading coming face to face with her. Luna woke up suddenly, looking angry, but once she recognized her father, threw herself in his arms screaming, “Daddy!”

“Luna!” he replied in her same tone.

“You’re back, Daddy!”

“Yes, I’m back.”

“Are you really back or are you going away again?”

“I’m really back. I’m staying with you.”

“Good! I don’t like being alone,” she pouted.

“I know, sweetheart, I’m really sorry.” He hugged her closer.

“Daddy, where’s mommy?” Here was the dreaded question. He separated himself from his daughter to look at her. She stared back, expecting his answer. 

“Well, honey, last week, mommy, auntie and the rest of the team had to fight a really bad guy.”

Luna’s eyes shifted to Jean, a small child like her had a finite amount of patience and this new person intrigued her. “Hey, daddy! Who is that lady?”

“She’s a good guy, like daddy. She also fought the really bad guy. He was very strong…stronger than all the good guys…” Pietro paused, trying to contain his emotions.

Luna sensed her father’s turmoil. “What’s wrong, daddy? Are you hurt?” 

He shook his head and he took a deep breath. “No, I’m not hurt…but I have to finish the story."

“About the bad guy that mommy fought?” Pietro nodded. 

Luna’s big innocent eyes while looking at her father were starting to have an effect on Jean. She knew that this would be a painful scene to witness, but being confronted with the child face to face made her doubt the necessity of delivering the news. Jean quickly came up with an idea. Though she couldn’t hear Pietro’s thoughts, he could certainly hear hers if she reached out to him telepathically. She did so at once, startling Pietro. He quickly regained his composure once he recognized the telepathic intrusion. She told him she knew how to soften the news to Luna and to repeat after her.

“The good guys had to use all their power to stop him,” he continued. "The bad guy tried to escape to a far away place, but your mom and the others followed him so he wouldn’t hurt other people. Daddy doesn’t know where they went.”

Jean dropped the tenuous psychic link she made with Pietro, assuming she had done enough. These next moments wold be for Pietro to handle alone.

“You don’t know where mommy went?” Luna asked, anguish in her voice.

He shook his head.

“But Mommy is coming back?”

Pietro blinked to stop tears from forming in his eyes, and he explained with barely contained emotion: “I don’t know. Believe me Luna, if I knew where Mommy was, if I could find her, if there was anything I could do bring her here, to you, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I can’t…. Mommy is gone”

Luna’s face flushed red as tears flowed down her cheeks. “But I want to see Mommy. Where is Mommy?”

Pietro took her in his arms and pressed her head against his shoulder. Luna was inconsolable, asking for her mother. Jean thought she could mitigate Luna’s pain by her slight twisting of facts, but apparently her efforts had been for naught. Luna wanted her mother, and whether Crystal was dead or far away didn’t change the fact that Luna wouldn’t be with her. Jean berated herself for thinking she could help. Still, she stayed in the room until Luna fell asleep after exhausting herself with crying, some hours later.


	3. Chapter 3

### CHAPTER 3

Before she had tired herself out, Luna made her father promise that he would never leave her. True to his word, Pietro sat on a rocking chair, his daughter still cradled in his arms. Jean kneeled beside him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.”

“That’s not true. You kept me honest.” 

She grimaced. “I don’t know about that, I did feed you the story about the heroes going to a far away place.”

“Yes, I was surprised given what you told me about lying.” He looked at her sideways, a slight smile on his lips. 

She stroked Luna’s wet cheeks. “Well, I thought in our circle, it’s not unusual to come back from the dead. I mean, it happened to me, so a miracle could happen this time as well.”

“In any case, I wasn’t sure how I would explain death to her. I don’t know that a 4 year old can fully grasp that concept…You were a great help…” He looked at her and continued, “…and your voice gave me something to focus on…” 

She blushed, feeling embarrassed by his admission that her voice soothed him. She stared intently at Luna to avoid Pietro’s stare. After a moment she asked, “Do you think she’ll be alright when she wakes up?”

There was no answer. She turned to face him and saw he had fallen asleep as well. Last night’s insomnia had finally caught up to him. Jean laid a blanket from the crib on the two sleepers and left the room.

Her mission, such as it were, was finished. She should call the X-Mansion and ask for a lift, but somehow, the thought of returning filled her with apprehension. She would likely need to report back to Professor X, which she dreaded more than she ought. Lost in her anxious thoughts, she didn’t notice Jarvis approaching. 

“Did little Luna fall asleep?” he inquired.

She jumped in surprise, but managed to reply, “Yes, her father as well. This experience was emotionally draining for them both.”

Jarvis nodded solemnly. “Undoubtedly. Would you like to accompany me for some tea, Mrs. Summers?”

Jean was more than happy to accept. She needed some time to mentally prepare herself. She thought to herself how ridiculous it was that just this morning, she had left the mansion with no thought spared for the Professor, but somehow her return was weighing heavily on her mind. Jarvis led her to the kitchen. 

"I hope you won’t mind not sitting in the formal dining room. I’m still not accustomed to this empty mansion, and prefer to stay in my usual haunts.” He poured her a cup.

“There was no one but you and Luna this past week?” she asked, mostly to keep her mind off her worries.

“No, not completely. After the tragedy, Mrs. Romanoff arrived post haste. She’s been busy trying to fill the ranks of the team, dealing with the media, and various government figures.” Jarvis sat opposite her. “Presently, she has some business in Washington DC, so it was just Luna and me for the past day. I must say, it’s a relief to have Mr. Maximoff back. What urgent business took him to the X-Men?”

“I don’t know that he had any urgent business with us…” Seeing a frown form on Jarvis’ forehead, she quickly amended “…I think he was trying to reconnect with his father since the rest of his family vanished.”

Jarvis sighed. “You don’t need to make excuses for him, Mrs. Summers. I’ve known Master Pietro for many years, and undoubtedly one of his greatest flaws is how he avoids difficult situations. I suppose it goes hand in hand with his super power. In any case, thank you for bringing him back.” 

“You assume too much. I didn’t bring him back at all, I just accompanied him.”

Jarvis nodded though he clearly had other thoughts on the matter. “If I may inquire, Mrs. Summers, when do you plan on heading back?”

Jean was momentarily taken aback: was her presence unwelcome?

“The reason I ask is because I’d like to ask you a favor, if I may be so bold. Could you, at the very least, stay for the day? I’m worried Master Pietro may still need your assistance with Luna. And I would very much enjoy the company.”

Jean sighed in relief. This was a great turn of events: she could postpone her dreaded return for a day. “Well, if I can be of any help, then yes, I will stay. But let me inform my team about this change of plans. Is there a phone I can use?”

Jarvis pointed her to a phone in the main hall. Once she got Scott on the line and explained she would stay a day in Avengers mansion, Cyclops initially stayed silent. Jean could tell he wasn’t happy. 

“You know, Jean, I only agreed to escorting Pietro back to the Avengers, not you having a sleepover.” 

“But Scott, the Avengers have very depleted manpower right now and need help.”

“Well, Quicksilver is there now to make up for their deficiency.” Jean was shocked by his coldness. He added, “I’m not unsympathetic to the plight of the Avengers, but this team also has pressing problems, Jeans. Need I remind you Onslaught was a mutant? You should know full well what that means.”

“Of course I know what it means when a mutant destroys most of New York City, but there hasn’t been any backlash yet. What’s an extra day away from the mansion?”

Another pause before Cyclops reproached her, “Is this about the Professor, again? Is this the best excuse you could come up with to avoid him?” 

“What? No! Jarvis asked me to stay…And why are you bringing this up now when you never want to talk about it?”

“I’m bringing it up now because this is the only reason I can come up with for your childish behavior. You know where your priorities lie, and yet you think it’s okay to have a day off.”

Jean’s anger and annoyance were extreme. Her, accused of childishness for helping fellow heroes? And weren’t her fears and worries about Professor X valid? She took a deep breath. Now was not the time to lose her cool.

“I’m done having this conversation, Scott. I didn’t call to get your permission, just to inform you of where I’d be. Goodbye.” She hung up and stomped back to the kitchen.

Sitting with Jarvis was Quicksilver and Luna having breakfast. The latter still looked very sullen. Pietro raised an eyebrow when he saw her. “You’re still here? I thought you left."

Jean didn’t know what to make of that reaction. Did he want her gone? “Jarvis said he needed some help around the house.”

“That’s ridiculous. You’re a guest here, we can’t have you do house chores. Surely there’s a better use of your time back with the X-Men than cleaning this mansion."

Yet another person who was telling her what she should do. Most vexing of all was that the person who now wanted her gone was indirectly the source of her recent spat with her husband.

Jarvis interjected, “My apologies, sir. The truth is, I’ve been missing adult company this past week and Miss Summers was kind enough to make up the deficit.” 

“Is that so?” He paused to consider. “It’s true I’ve inconvenienced you greatly this past week. Why don’t you and Mrs. Summers go out for a change of scenery?”

Jarvis looked suspiciously at Pietro.

“There’s no need to give me that look, Jarvis. Yes, go out, mingle with the outside world. I’ve kept you locked away for one week, so it’s only fair that you take a break now that I’ve returned.”

“Well, sir, in that case…” Jarvis stood from his seat getting ready to depart “…we shall return within an hour."

“An hour?! You just complained about being shut away for a week and you think an hour will suffice? Make it at least two hours!"

“Alright, sir. We’ll return in two hours."

Jarvis stood up and grabbed Jean’s arm. He pulled her along towards the door. Pietro added: “And don’t think about coming in any earlier. I’ll lock the gate from inside to prevent it, you hear?”

“Of course, sir,” was the only reply.

Once they were out in the street, Jean turned to Jarvis. “Well, I think I overstayed my welcome, judging from Pietro kicking us out of the mansion.”

Jarvis shook his head vehemently. “No, no! Not at all. You know Master Pietro has a peculiar character. He likes to mask his kindness with his foul-temper.”

Jean couldn’t disagree with that assessment, but for the past few days, Pietro had been so sincere in his conversations with her that his sudden change of mood had shocked her. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely! I’ve been with the Avengers for over a decade by now. I have some inkling about the personalities of its members. In fact, I suspect there’s another reason Master Pietro wanted us outside of the mansion. But you’ll just wait and see.” And with that, Jarvis led Jean to Central Park. 

“You know, Mrs. Summers, though I was a bit angry at Master Pietro for leaving us last week, I don’t fully blame him. He was so close to his sister and well…the matter with his wife was complicated, but I know their loss must have been especially devastating.”

Jean’s curiosity was piqued. “What was complicated about his wife? I recall that they reconciled after Luna was abducted by Cortez.”

“Officially they were reconciled, but their marriage was still struggling. Are you aware of why they initially separated?”

Jean remembered something about it when she was in X-Factor. “Yes, I believe Crystal cheated on him.”

“That is correct. As you’re probably aware, Pietro didn’t take well to the news…”

Jean thought, “Well, how else was he supposed to take the news? Cheer for her? Act like nothing happened?” but she didn’t voice her bitter thoughts.

“…he was initially reluctant to reconnect with Crystal, and I suppose that is the reason Crystal became enamored with Dane…he’s better known as the Black Knight.”

“Enamored? Is that Jarvis’s polite way of saying she cheated on him again?” Jean wondered. She hadn’t heard about this tryst with the Black Knight, but it added some insight into Pietro’s perpetual gloominess these last few years.

“After meeting Dane, Crystal became reticent to fully commit to Pietro. I think she was struggling to choose between Dane and Pietro. I thought Pietro was uncharacteristically patient with her, but I suppose that’s a sign of how much he loved her. I thought that they were finally getting back on track as of late, which makes her sudden death all the more tragic.”

“Yes, I can imagine,” was her only reply, but her mind swirled with this new information. It became clear to her that Pietro didn’t just grieve the loss of his wife, but also the lack of closure between them.

“I’ve never had a very deep acquaintance with Crystal. What kind of woman was she?” she asked

“Very kind and generous. She knew how to cheer people up. But like her husband, she had flaws. Well, we all have flaws really.”

Jean could tell he was holding back on his assessment of Crystal. He was not the type to speak ill of other people, but her curiosity needed to be satisfied. “Of course, but we’re all flawed a little differently. What was Crystal’s particular vice?”

“Well…how do I put this? I think she had hedonistic proclivities…which were in stark contrast to her husband who is a lot more taciturn. You know, I think their expectations of each other just weren’t in sync, which is why they were struggling."

Jean smiled at his use of arcane words to obfuscate meaning. Again, he was trying to diffuse his criticism of Crystal. “You don’t have to tell me about Pietro’s flaws, Jarvis. I’m fairly acquainted with them myself. I just want to know about Crystal’s.”

Jarvis became frustrated, "Oh, alright Mrs. Summers! I didn’t feel that Crystal was serious about her marriage with Pietro. I think she tried on occasions, but overall she didn’t try as hard as her husband. This business with Dane solidified in my mind the notion that she wanted the rush and excitement of a new relationship, something her marriage couldn’t provide anymore. There! Does that satisfy you?”

“A bit. But I won’t ask for more as I see it pains you to be critical of others. Now, let’s change the subject!"

They spent the rest of their stroll talking about the reconstruction efforts in New York.


	4. Chapter 4

### CHAPTER 4

The sight of Pietro, wearing an apron with Luna strapped to his back in a makeshift sling greeted Jean and Jarvis upon their return. They discovered the mansion fully cleaned and a feast waiting for them.

While Jarvis smiled at having correctly guessed Pietro’s motives, Jean was speechless. She was speechless because her experience living with men had taught her that housework was something they did very reluctantly and secondly, Pietro’s appearance was as ridiculous as it was adorable.

Sadly, he took off his apron and sling, muttering an explanation for his strange appearance, and set Luna at the table. She looked a bit better than earlier in the morning. Though her mother was still gone, her father was trying his best to make up for it, which made her happy. 

“Pietro, did you cook all of this?” Jean asked, still bewildered.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not! I may be the fastest man alive, but I can’t decrease cooking time. I ordered everything…except the rice pudding. That, I made.” He added, “It’s Luna’s favorite dessert.” 

He showed them to their seat. 

“Thank you, Master Pietro, for all your work. I’m afraid I now don’t have anything to occupy me for the rest of the day.” Said Jarvis.

Pietro was clearly annoyed. “When you say things like that, I wonder why I even bother doing nice things.” 

Jean giggled. “Well you know, Jarvis, Pietro washed the dishes when he was staying with us. I’m starting to wonder if maybe he secretly likes doing housework.”

“I do not! Jarvis you are free to toil like you always do tomorrow, think of today as a vacation and do whatever you would do on such an occasion."

“Alright then, Master Pietro. I will visit the art museum after lunch.”

“Should I come with you Jarvis?” Jean asked

“No, no. You don’t need to keep me company this time. You can stay here, play with Luna.”

Pietro suddenly turned his head towards her, surprised. “You don’t need to head back? I don’t want to keep you longer than you need to.”

She blushed at his direct interrogation, hoping she wouldn’t betray her real motives, harmless as they were. She explained, “No, I don’t need to head back right away. I’d love to get to know Luna better.”

Pietro looked relieved. It seemed that Jarvis had been right: her presence was needed here after all.

Once the meal was over, Pietro and Jean spent the rest of the day playing with Luna. Though Luna sometimes became despondent recalling the loss of her mother, Jean and Pietro contrived to make her happy by exhibiting their respective powers in magic tricks that were sure to delight a child. By the time Luna needed to go to bed, she demanded to sleep next to her father. Pietro was forced to bid Jean good night, telling her to ask Jarvis for suitable accommodations that night. This she did, and Jarvis led her to an empty bedroom and gave her pajamas and toiletries.

As soon as she fell asleep, her subconscious taunted her with dreams of Onslaught and an indifferent Scott. This was a recurring event, these past few weeks. After an especially stressful dream, she awoke a little past midnight. In the darkness, she perceived a faint sound on the floor above. As she was not in a state mind to go back to sleep, she got up to investigate. 

The sound led her to the gym where Pietro was punching a punching bag. Jean had never seen him in such a state of disarray. Gone was his streamlined uniform, replaced by shorts and a muscle shirt. His hair, that was usually impeccably swept back, was now a ruffled mess. He was covered in sweat, and his expression that was usually cool and as of late melancholy, now seemed tinged with rage. After her conversation with Jarvis that afternoon, she could very well guess the reasons for his turmoil but decided he needed to be approached gently.

“Have you been here long?” she asked from the doorway. Pietro jumped in surprise, his wrathful expression disappearing in the process. “Oh Jean! I didn’t see you there. I’m sorry, was I being too noisy?”

Jean entered the gym and sat on a bench against the wall. “No, I woke up on my own.” 

He smiled, “Bad dream?”

“You could say that…You’re sure you shouldn’t be in bed? You haven’t slept much these past two days."

Pietro resumed punching. “I would if I could. I’m exceedingly tired, yet sleep eludes me.”

“I thought you would feel better once you were reunited with your daughter, but obviously something else bothers you.” 

She hoped Pietro would take her bait, unfortunately he was quick to reply: “Perhaps. But it is not something to concern yourself with.”

Jean gazed at him. Without her use of telepathy, she needed to use her other senses to devise a way to breach his defenses.

It certainly helped that the focus of her attention had a very handsome figure, a figure she never had the pleasure to study closely before. Certainly, the fact that his appearance seemed wilder than usual gave her new appreciation for it. She became lost in concentration and suddenly blurted out, “Physical exercise has therapeutic effects doesn’t it? I find that after a while, my mind goes blank from the exertion. Has your mind gone blank yet?”

Pietro continued punching. “Not yet. But if I can’t exhaust my mind, I’ll exhaust my body instead.”

“That or you’ll completely destroy this punching bag. So you’ll have to take your frustration out on another apparatus, and then another, and pretty soon the Avengers won’t have a gym left.”

Pietro stopped punching to finally face her. “You overestimate my stamina. The sun will rise before I have a chance to destroy anything.” He narrowed his eyes, focusing them on Jean. His voice was cold.

“I’ve been thinking. Why are you here, Jean? I mean, yes I brought you this morning, but you could have left hours ago. It’s been puzzling me a great deal.”

“Do you not want me here?” she asked innocently.

“Actually you were, once again, a great help with Luna this afternoon, so the truth is I do appreciate your presence. But people don’t just do things to please others. You have to have a personal reason to stay here, in this empty mansion with yours truly. You can’t convince me staying a whole day in my presence is a particularly enchanting experience.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no ulterior motives for being here. Unlike some people, I enjoy helping others.”

Pietro was not convinced, in fact he seemed rather amused by her answer. “As you know, Jean, I had a sister. What you don’t know is that all my life, I would ask after her wellbeing and she always answered that she was fine. Many times, she lied. So you can imagine, from my experience, I can guess pretty accurately when someone is lying.”

Jean stayed silent so he added, “Also, I overheard your argument on the phone…”

Her face grew pale. “What did you overhear?”

“Actually overhear is the wrong word. I heard your raised voice, the particular words were indistinct to me from where I was. What’s the matter, Jean, are you having troubles at home?” He seemed to sneer at her.

Jean felt a mixture of pain, anger and confusion. It wasn’t fair, she thought to herself. All through her recent interactions with him, she had tried to broach conversation with him in a sensitive manner, but he didn’t reciprocate at all. He was set on hurting her with his words. 

She tried to fight back tears, but she lost control as she spoke, “Yes. I had an argument with Scott. Does that make you happy? That my relationship with Scott isn’t perfect?” She covered her face in her hands, trying to hide her pain. 

Pietro immediately kneeled by her side, raising a towel to her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ve gone too far. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“I’m not crying,” she replied reproachfully. “I just got a little emotional.”

“I know you were trying to help, but….” he averted his eyes to the floor, “help is not something I’m particularly used to. I’m sorry I lashed out at you.”

She stayed quiet as she was not yet ready to forgive him. 

He explained, “Ever since last week, there’s been this tumult of feelings inside me. It’s like the moment I become aware of a feeling, it’s replaced by yet another feeling. It’s a rapid progression of sadness, rage, regret, anger, hate. Sometimes it feels like I can’t control it.”

Jean didn’t buy his excuse. “You didn’t seem so inconvenienced today with your 'uncontrollable’ feelings.”

Pietro ignored her tone. “I know. I can keep myself sane with Luna. I have to, as her father…But Luna is asleep now, so I’m alone once again with these feelings.”

Seeing as her sensitive approach had been rebuffed earlier, Jean decided to go straight to the point. “It’s about your wife, isn’t it?”

“Wh…What?”

“Your wife, Crystal. You’re angry and sad at her, and now that she’s gone, all your feelings are left unresolved. Jarvis told me about her this afternoon.”

“What does he know about Crystal?” he asked defensively.

“Enough to see that you two were having problems in your marriage. If I recall, he felt you were incompatible with each other."

“Incompatible?! Of all the ridiculous things…”

Jean interrupted, “She cheated on you, didn’t she?”

Pietro struggled to find an answer and stammered, “Well….it wasn’t…it wasn’t her fault. I pushed her away.”

His expression became frantic as he searched for an answer. He was a sorry sight to see, so against her better judgment, especially after the pain he had inflicted on her, Jean wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him against her.

He tried to push her away as he continued, “Why wouldn’t she seek affection from someone else when her own husband ignored her?”

Jean kept him locked in her embrace though he put some weak efforts into resisting it. “For such a proud man, I didn’t expect to keep hearing you say how awful you are and how everything is your fault.”

“Because it’s the truth,” he replied under his breath.

“I may not know everything about you, Pietro, but I know that’s not true…” As reconciliation she whispered, “Do you want to hear something? I know a bit about infidelity.”

“What would you know? You’ve always been with Cyclops.”

“Well it’s true my circumstances were different than yours. I was supposedly dead when Scott began relationships with two other women, so he didn’t technically cheat on me… No, the part that hurt me was that the two women he pursued were nearly identical copies of me. I felt like I was replaceable thing and not a person. As long as Scott was with a woman with red hair, he was happy, didn’t matter who the actual person behind the body was.”

Pietro had calmed down while listening to her. “But you’re happy together now?” he asked.

She sighed. Her feelings for Scott lately had been complicated, but she didn’t want to burden Pietro with her worries when he was in so much turmoil. She lied “Yes.” After a moment, she continued “ I just want you to know that I understand your feelings. When somebody you love betrays you like that, it makes you question your worth. You are not to blame for your wife’s infidelity… She betrayed you because it suited her to do so. It had nothing to do with you. “

“But never mind the infidelity, Jean. I could forgive it.”

Jean felt hot tears smear against her neck. Pietro continued, his voice shaky, “I could forgive anything if I could be with her again. What really torments me, what keeps me up at night, is the fact that we were finally on the right track, we almost were a real family again. But then she had to sacrifice herself in that last battle.” Tears now flowed furiously. “I don’t want to blame her. I know she did what needed to be done. But I’m angry. And…and all these other things. I could finally have what I wanted and it was taken away from me.”

“It’s okay,” Jean repeated soothingly. As his sobs weakened she assured him that few things in life went according to plan. He could grieve the loss of his wife, but not torture himself with constant reminiscences of what he lost. Her words had a soothing effect on him, and after a moment he had stopped crying. He asked softly, “Can I?” as his arms, which he had kept by his side through most of their embrace, wrapped slowly around her waist. Jean didn’t discourage him. She further adjusted their position so that his head fit comfortably under her chin. 

“I’m tired,” he said, mostly to himself. 

“Do you want to go to bed?” she asked

“No. Could we stay like this a bit longer?”

“OK,” she whispered.

She felt his body slowly sink into hers. He was soon asleep, despite their somewhat uncomfortable position. Jean’s eyelids felt heavy and she slipped into unconsciousness shortly after him.


	5. Chapter 5

### CHAPTER 5

The next morning, Jean woke up in her bed, disoriented. Had last night been a dream? She heard a soft knock on her door.

“Yes?” she asked.

“It’s me. May I come in?” The “me” in question was Pietro. 

Jean jumped from the bed, and swiftly fixed herself up before answering, “Yes. Come in!”

Pietro entered gingerly. Apart from his slightly red eyes, his appearance didn’t belie the events from last night. He was as impeccable as always. He smiled shyly. “I carried you here at around 3 a.m.”

“Oh,” was Jean’s only reply. 

He gestured at the spot next to her “May I?”

“Yes, of course.”

He sat down, and looked at his fumbling hands. “Thank you…for last night. I woke up this morning and I felt a lot better. I’m not sure why exactly, but I think our talk last night was…therapeutic.”

Jean smiled. “I’m glad.”

He quickly added, “I’m also very sorry about my behavior. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you…”

“No, it’s okay. What’s past is past and I forgive you. We were both on edge last night.”

He looked at her expectantly, but what he expected from her, Jean couldn’t guess. Since she was mute, he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

“Nevermind,” he got up to leave. Before closing the door, he turned back. “What are your plans for today?”

“Well, if you don’t need me, I guess I should head back…” she meandered.

“Would you like to stay here?”

“Well, if I can be of help…” she continued in her roundabout way. 

Pietro sighed. “You know we always appreciate your help here. Please stay.”

Jean smiled widely. “Yes, of course!”

After dressing herself, she ran to the main hall and made a call to the X-Mansion, or rather, she called Rogue. She wanted to avoid another argument with Scott. She explained to Rogue she wouldn’t be back today either, and to please relay her message to Scott.

“No problem, sugah. When can we expect you back?”

“Oh, soon I’m sure! Probably even tomorrow,” she answered nervously. “You know, things keep on popping up over with the Avengers. So I can’t say for sure. Well I gotta go. See you soon!”

Rogue said her goodbyes and the call ended.

Luna yelled out good morning as she entered the kitchen. The two gentlemen followed up with greetings of their own. Everyone was seated around the table, having breakfast. Jean went to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. As she sat, she took notice of Pietro’s breakfast, which was plentiful though lacking an ingredient.

“You don’t drink coffee?”

“With my metabolism, the last thing I need is coffee,” was his curt reply. 

“It’s true, he becomes very unmanageable if he drinks even so much as a coke,” Jarvis added.

“Unmanageable? What am I? A child that needs to be managed?” he asked in an offended voice. Before Jarvis could clarify what he meant, Pietro shifted his attention to his daughter who preferred looking at the cartoons on the back of her cereal box than actually eating said product. “Luna, why won’t you eat?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Luna, be a good girl and eat your breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day, honey.”

“No!”

Jean noted that she had yet to see Luna be stubborn. It was somewhat of a relief to see her act her age, though it frustrated her father. He took her spoon from the bowl of cereal and raised it to her mouth, “Come on, Luna, say ‘Aaah!’”

“No! I said I don’t wanna eat.”

Jean used her telekinetic powers to take the spoon from Pietro’s hand. “Now, Luna, listen to your father and eat your cereal.” Luna finally obeyed. Eating from a levitating spoon was too novel an experience to pass up. She fed Luna in that way for the rest of the breakfast. Pietro whispered his gratitude to her for her intervention.

Later, when the meal was over and they exited the kitchen, she asked him, “What would you have done if I hadn’t been there?”

He smiled broadly. “Bribed her with candy.” She couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious. Either way, she found the answer both amusing and vexing…two words she realized applied equally well to Pietro.

“Luna, what do you want to do today?” he called out.

“Watch cartoons!”

“Oh come on, Luna! You’ve been cooped here for too long. You need to go outside. Lets go to the park.”

“No I don’t like the park!”

“But honey, I’ll be with you the whole time! You don’t have to be scared.”

Jean kneeled down to talk to Luna. “Why are you scared of the park, Luna?”

“I’m not scared of the park, I just don’t like it,” she replied defiantly.

Pietro kneeled beside them and took Luna in his arms. “She has troubles with the other kids…” he explained to Jean “…just like her dad! Isn’t that right, honey? You’re just like your daddy!” He smiled and hugged his daughter even closer.

“I’m just like daddy,” Luna repeated, a smile on her face. Although it was a morbid thing to rejoice over, Jean couldn’t help but smile along at the interaction between the two. Pietro then proceeded to tickle her and Luna soon erupted in laughter. He took this opportunity to swoop her in her stroller, and out the door he went. “Jean! Come along!” he called back.

Jean ran after them. As soon as she was out the door, Pietro made an about face and ran back inside the mansion. “Hold on. I forgot something!” A fraction of a second later, he was back, with a cap on his head.

“What’s that for?” Jean asked.

“Sometimes people recognize me. So it’s best if I hide my hair.”

“It’s tough being a famous Avenger, huh?” she teased.

Pietro blushed “Well, infamous is more the word in my case”

He took back the stroller, and towards the park they went. 

Along the way, they were stopped a few times by elderly ladies who wanted to see “the pretty little girl” and pay their respect to the couple for procreating such a wonderful child. Jean and Pietro tried to explain they were not a couple, so the ladies then assumed Jean was a single mom. Walking away from one such encounter, Jean noticed Pietro’s jaw was clenched.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“You know, I’m the one pushing the stroller. It should be obvious I’m her father,” he fumed.

Jean giggled. “Well, that’s a deeply ingrained societal bias. What can you do about it?”

“I know,” he pouted, but his bad mood soon faded away.

At the park, Pietro gave instructions to Luna, “Now, Luna, if anyone bothers you, you tell them your dad is with you and he’s not afraid to punch people.”

“That’s not what you say to a child,” Jean admonished. “Luna, if you have problems, you come back to us and we’ll deal with it in a nonviolent way, ok?” she looked at Pietro as she stressed the word “nonviolent”. He sighed in defeat.

“OK,” Luna said as she walked away. Her first order of business was the slide. Pietro and Jean sat down on a bench and observed her from a safe distance. 

“I still think what I said is a more effective deterrent.”

“You don’t really think that.”

He smiled. “Maybe…I’ll concede your advice is less likely to lead to a blood bath between myself and these other parents.”

“Well everything looks fine now. Why does she have trouble with other kids, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She was being stubborn this morning which is a bit unusual for her, but she’s very mature compared to other children. That’s because Luna has spent most of her life amongst the Inhuman royal family who have certain expectations of her. That, and being a royal excludes her from the “common rabble”, so as a result, she’s at a loss with how to interact with other children. And so her social awkwardness makes her the target for bullies.”

“Oh!” Jean was impressed by Pietro’s knowledge of his daughter’s situation, and she wondered if some of it was informed by his personal experiences…though Luna was royalty, so her alienation couldn’t be as intense as what her father had felt as an orphaned, mutant youth. 

“Part of me wishes I could just let her stay in her own little world where she’s treated as a princess, but I feel it’s harmful to not have her experience the greater world, even if that world is full of ignorant bullies. Well, as they say, practice makes perfect. She’ll eventually figure out social interaction with her peers….That’s my hope anyways”

Jean couldn’t help but smile. Though his advice to Luna earlier had been questionable, and to his credit, maybe he meant it as a joke, he truly had his daughter’s best interest at heart. 

After a pause, Pietro said, “Thank you for everything. I don’t think I can adequately express my gratitude for your presence these past couple of days.”

Jean blushed. “No, no it’s quite all right. The truth is, I’ve been enjoying my stay here.”

Pietro gave her an unbelieving look.

“It’s true. What you said last night, about you not having an “enchanting presence”. Well, it’s not true….” She stammered, “I mean, “enchanting isn’t the right word, but I’ve enjoyed your company. You’re….”she was searching for the right word, “You’re ‘interesting’.”

“Interesting?” he raised an eyebrow.

“… or rather peculiar.”

“Well these adjectives are progressively getting better,” he grumbled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. All I wanted to say is that you’re not as bad as you think you are. Like Jarvis told me, you have your own set of peculiarities, but once you look past that, it turns out you’re a nice person after all.”

He blushed. After another pause, Pietro asked, in a lower voice, “Isn’t there another reason you’ve stayed with us?”

Jean sighed. She didn’t want to lie to him, “Maybe.”

“Do you want to tell me?”

“I don’t know…not right now.”

Pietro nodded. “OK. You can tell me anything you want. It’s the least I could do. What I said to my daughter goes for you as well: anything that bothers you, I’ll punch it in the face for you.”

Jean smiled softly, “Thank you.”

The trio left the playground after a couple of hours. Luna had managed to avoid trouble, something she credited to her father being there to protect her. They spent the rest of the day walking in the park. They had an impromptu picnic with food they bought at a stand. Well-meaning old ladies still mistook them for a family, but by the end of it, Pietro and Jean no longer cared to correct them. 


	6. Chapter 6

### CHAPTER 6

Upon returning from their outing, Luna was exhausted and put to bed. Jarvis approached them and handed a note to Jean. Scott had called in their absence. The note simply said, “Scott will pick you up tomorrow at 10:00 am”. Jean was frozen on the spot, though she couldn’t explain why. The two men studied her expression with concern.

“What’s the matter, Jean? Did something happen?” Pietro asked.

Since she didn’t answer, Jarvis said “I’m not sure, Master Pietro, the note is just to let Mrs. Summers know her husband will pick her up tomorrow morning.”

“Oh.” Pietro looked a bit deflated at this news.

She was still speechless, anxiety and dread swirling inside her, making her thoughts an incoherent mess. Pietro asked her, worry in his voice, “Are you alright? Do you want to sit down?”

She nodded. He ran to get a chair and pushed her down on it. He kneeled at her side and looked up at her. “You look very pale all of a sudden. What’s the matter? Jarvis, could you go fetch water?”

Jarvis left in a hurry. 

“I..I’m fine. I think I need to be alone for a bit,” Jean finally said.

Jarvis returned with the water which he held out to her. Her grasp was weak, so Pietro helped her hold the glass. She drank some of it, and Pietro returned the glass to Jarvis. “I’ll take her to her bedroom. I’m sure she’s just tired from all the exertion today,” he explained to Jarvis. 

It was clear Jarvis didn’t believe it, but now was not the time to quibble. “Very well, sir. I’m at your disposal if you need a doctor or anything else.”

“Thank you, Jarvis,” Pietro carried Jean in his arms and took her to her bedroom. He noticed that her body was shaking. 

He laid her down on the bed. Jean excused herself between short breaths, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s come over me. My body feels numb and I’m shaking.”

Pietro gently caressed her hand. “It sounds like you’re having an anxiety attack.”

“That’s weird. I’ve never had one of those before.”

“Yes, even weirder that it would start right after reading that note.” His intense gaze pierced her “ Please tell me what’s wrong. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me ”

“I don’t know. I was fine before, I don’t understand why my body is doing this all of a sudden.”

He continuing stroking her hand, “You’re a smart woman, you know what’s happening, Jean. You just don’t want to accept it’s happening to you.”

Jean wished Pietro couldn’t see through her so easily. She stayed silent. 

“Are you afraid of going back home?” he asked softly.

Jean nodded, too afraid her voice would betray the extant of her emotions.

“Why?” He pressed her hand to his chest.

After many minutes of bearing his gaze, she tried to find the courage to tell him. She whispered, “The Professor.”

Pietro looked perplexed. And why shouldn’t he be? The Professor was like a father figure to many of them, why would his premier student suddenly fear him?

“Please tell me.”

In a shaky voice, she related her story: Onslaught had revealed Professor X’s feelings for her. He had lusted after her. He had kept these feelings hidden for very long, but Onslaught had made it clear that it was no passing fancy. The professor had even planned to act on his emotions on a few occasions. “This revelation really disturbed me. All along, I saw the Professor as my foster father, but he saw me in this completely different light. I know I shouldn’t be shocked. You hear it on the news all the time: teachers having affairs with their students. It’s no big deal, right? And to the Professor’s credit, I probably would have never found out about his feelings if it weren’t for Onslaught…and maybe he was lying just to get a reaction from me….” she tried to rationalize. She realized she was repeating what Scott had told her when she revealed to him her secret. “…Even so, I find that I can’t act the way that I used to around him. I can’t shake off this feeling of betrayal and…” she blushed before finishing “…and…disgust”.

She wanted to hide in a cave after admitting these things. She continued “Since the battle against Onslaught took precedence, I could ignore my feelings and avoid the professor. But now that we’re not fighting anymore…” she left that sentence hang in the air, unfinished. 

Pietro listened attentively to her whole account. In fact, he seemed perturbed when she learned of Professor X’s infatuation. “You don’t have to make up reasons to forgive the Professor, Jean. He has breached your trust, you have every right to feel as you feel…Does Scott know?”

“Yes, of course I told him. But he doesn’t believe me…or I don’t know….he’s frustrated. He said Onslaught probably lied to me to get under my skin. That the Professor wouldn’t do that to me…the few times I’ve mentioned it, he said I was being childish. That it was no big deal.”

Pietro was struggling to contain his anger. He held her hand even tighter. “Jean, I’ll protect you if you don’t want to go back tomorrow. Or I can take you someplace else. ”

“You…you believe me?” she asked in disbelief.

“Of course I believe you.“

“You don’t think I’m being silly?”

Pietro took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. “Not at all. I’m as shocked as you are about this secret. How can a mentor, like the Professor, covet one of his students? It’s wrong. I can’t believe I’ve respected him all these years. Of all the…” he didn’t finish his sentence as he knew the more he talked, the angrier he would get and that was something he wanted to avoid at the moment.

Pressed against him, his warmth surrounding her, Jean felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulder. She hadn’t expected Pietro’s support, but once she had it, she now realized how alone she had felt these past few weeks. Scott had ignored her feelings completely, not acknowledged her fears and expected her to function as if nothing had changed. The note she received from him added insult to injury: he would force her to come back though she still wasn’t emotionally ready to do so. 

“I’ll tell Scott you’re not ready to go to the X-Mansion tomorrow. I’ll fight him if it gets to that,” he whispered in her hair. Jean weakly smiled.

“No, I should go. I can’t run away forever.”

“You don’t know if you don’t try.” He replied. Her head rested on his shoulder, she looked up at him. Though she knew he was wrong, she was grateful for his unwavering support. She relaxed her body into his.

“Jean, I’m serious: if your duty causes you pain, then it’s not worth it. Don’t force yourself to do things you’re uncomfortable with just to please Cyclops. It’s not right” he appealed to her. 

Jean closed her eyes. Pietro’s last words were an enticing proposition, one she didn’t have the strength to argue at the moment.

“You’ve finally stopped shaking,” he commented. “Do you feel better?” His hold on her loosened.

“Yes. But don't let me go. I need to stay like this a bit longer.”

“Of course,” he tightened his arms once again.

“Can we lay down on the bed?” was her next request.

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.”

She heard Pietro push the shoes off his feet. He then clambered onto the bed with her by his side.

“Thank you,” was her reply. 

She fell asleep, cocooned in his warmth. In her dreams, she thought she heard Jarvis knock on the door, and Pietro telling him everything was fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's revelation are based on actual comic cannon: Onslaught did in fact spring up on Jean, while she was changing clothes ( which makes that whole scene even creepier), and revealed to her that the Professor loved her. Jean was very much shocked by this revelation, but that plot point was never explored further.  
> I'm of the opinion that learning something like that about your mentor would have more lasting impact than just being shocked for one issue, so I decided to bring it up again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter with the sex scene. Worry not, it's extremely tame and vague.

### CHAPTER 7

Jean woke up, once again a little past midnight. The room was softly lit by a table lamp. This allowed her to closely study the sleeping form besides her. She considered the paradox that was Pietro: through most of their history together, she thought him a difficult and unpredictable man although her opinion of him was better than most of her male teammates who barely tolerated him. She had become aware of other facets to his personality that softened his flaws. He was a caring and kind man, though he kept it hidden under his cold and arrogant demeanor. 

Pietro’s eyes fluttered open. He looked a bit confused at his surroundings, not recognizing his room, but soon recollected the events that brought him to this bed. He looked at Jean and stroked her face. “How do you feel?”

She was surprised by his gesture. From him, it felt uncommonly intimate. “I feel better…You’re a light sleeper.”

“I was having an unpleasant dream”

“What about?”

“The usual.” An evasive answer, but Jean decided not to probe further. He asked “What about you?”

“I guess I’m still feeling a little anxious about tomorrow”

Pietro wrapped one arm around her shoulder. In response, she laid her head down on his chest. They stayed like this for a while, taking comfort in each other’s presence. Jean finally whispered “I wish tomorrow would never come”

“Me too” he replied.

“Why is that?”

“Well…I’m going to miss you.”

She hadn’t expected this frank answer from him. She raised her head and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m going to miss you too. Being around you gave me the distraction I needed.”

“Likewise.”

She smiled “We seem to be of one mind tonight.”

“I don’t think that’s entirely true.” He blushed and continued “I should go back to my room.”

Jean could guess what was going through his mind at the moment, and she wasn’t entirely shocked. “No stay. I’ll be lonely otherwise”

Pietro hadn’t made any move to leave the bed, yet she could see he was debating her request. 

Finally he whispered “It’s not appropriate,” he said in a barely audible whisper. “You’re married and…”

“…And?”

“…And I’m not Captain America,” he muttered in embarrassment.

Jean didn’t catch his meaning. She tilted her head in confusion, so Pietro explained hurriedly, “If you kiss me, I might kiss you back.”

She stroked his hair “I don’t mind. We’re not going to have another opportunity to be like this, we should just enjoy it.”

“But…”his words died when Jean covered his mouth with her hand “Scott’s been with other women. I think it’s fair if I expand my horizons for just one night, don’t you?” 

She knew her answer was a cop-out, but she was past caring tonight. 

“I’ve never been with a woman other than Crystal” he admitted with some embarrassment. 

“Then we can help each other out with our woeful inexperience”

She could see Pietro didn’t need much convincing. He probably needed the intimacy as much as her. She bent her head down and kissed him on the forehead. This time he responded with a kiss of his own. More kisses followed and soon enough their lips locked. The kiss started tenderly but soon became rough and demanding. Jeans only lucid thought at the moment was an overflowing feeling she desperately needed to share with Pietro. What the feeling was, she couldn’t say exactly, but it was intoxicating. They parted, out of breath. 

Pietro looked down, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I was too rough…It’s been a while.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a while for me too.” She kissed him again, but this time her hands searched for the hem of his shirt. Seeing her intent, he stopped their kiss to remove his shirt in one sweeping move. He quickly went to work on his pants and as he did so, Jean followed his lead.

Once they were naked, Pietro whispered to her, “What would you like?” She blushed at his direct question but was flattered he cared about pleasing her.

“Anything you want,” she replied. She locked her legs around his waist, waiting breathlessly for his invasion.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I didn't know exactly how to end this story, so there's two different endings (They start out about the same). Just think of this as a "choose your own adventure" type of story :)

### Chapter 8 - Ending option 1

It was 8 a.m. In two more hours, Scott would come for her. She did not relish the idea of being picked up as if she were a child, especially since his mood would likely be sour. No, it was best for her to return on her own terms. She kissed Pietro until he awoke. “What’s the matter?” he groaned, his hand stroked her back as his eyes blinked open. 

“I hate to do this to you. You’ve slept so little these days”

A lazy smile spread across his lips “And whose fault is that?”

She stroked his hair and smiled “I’m sorry. Did you like it though?”

He kissed her by way of an answer “What about you? Did I please you?”

She blushed, his question being a lot more direct than hers. “Well, you do have some skill…” she admitted. But she had to cut their flirtatious conversation short. The night and therefore their tryst had come to an end.

Her face became serious “Pietro, could you take me back to the X-Mansion?”

He sat up in the bed, concerned “Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s for the best. Unloading all my problems to you yesterday helped me a lot. I was keeping all these negative emotions inside, but you helped me release them.“

He still didn’t look convinced “What will you do when you get there?”

“I’ll go confront the Professor, and then I’ll talk to Scott. I haven’t figured out the details, but those are the only options that make sense”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, it’s best if you don’t. I’m grateful for your help and everything…I really am…but I can’t leave the X-Men now.”

He sighed in defeat. “Now I remember why I was never into casual hookups.” 

Jean gave him one last kiss. “I’m sorry. What we did made perfect sense last night. But you’re right, we’ve only managed to hurt each other more.”

Pietro reluctantly pulled away “I’ll wait for you downstairs” 

Thirty minutes later, they were at the mansion. The return trip had been easier, as Pietro had run at a slower space. He set Jean down but held her hand. He didn’t say anything, his gaze was riveted on her. She relented and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be ok, don’t worry. And thank you for everything Pietro” she whispered to him. After a moment of silence, where she could see Pietro was debating whether to say anything, he ran away. 

### Chapter 8 – Ending option 2

Jean awakened to the alarm clock. It was 8 a.m. She yawned, still tired from the night-time activities. Though Pietro had denied having stamina two nights ago, she didn’t find him lacking in that regard. She looked at her partner, still soundly asleep next to her. In two more hours, Scott would come for her. She did not relish the idea of being picked up as if she were a child, especially since his mood would likely be sour. No, it was best for her to return on her own terms. She kissed Pietro until he awoke. 

“What’s the matter?” he groaned, his hand stroked her back as his eyes blinked open. 

“I hate to do this to you. You’ve slept so little these days.”

A lazy smile spread across his lips, “And whose fault is that?”

She stroked his hair and smiled. “I’m sorry. Did you like it though?”

He kissed her by way of an answer, “What about you? Did I please you?”

His question certainly was more direct than hers. “Well, you do have some skill…” she admitted. But she had to cut their flirtatious conversation short. Her face became serious. “Pietro, could you take me back to the X-Mansion?”

He sat up, concerned. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Unloading all my problems on you yesterday helped me a lot. I was keeping all these negative emotions inside, hoping they would disappear if I ignored them long enough, but my body had other notions. I’m sorry about the worry I caused.”

“You don’t need to be sorry. I was glad I could be of help to you and repay my debt of gratitude. But despite your assurances, I’m still concerned. What will you do when you get there?”

“I’ll go confront the Professor, and then I’ll talk to Scott. I haven’t figured out the details, but those are the only options that make sense.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” He stroked her hair.

She looked up sheepishly at him. “Could you come with me? …I mean, if it’s no too much trouble.”

“Of course. I’ll provide ‘moral support’ as you call it.” He got up, a bed sheet tied around his waist as he went looking for his clothes. Jean sat up on the bed, looking at him, deep in thought. She thought about what he had said last night. He had told her not to force herself to do unpleasant tasks. If she was honest with herself, she didn’t feel up to the task of living in the same mansion as Professor X. Moreover, things with Scott were complicated and last night’s transgressions didn’t help matters. More importantly, the thought of leaving Pietro weighed heavily on her mind. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice Pietro throw her clothes at her. “Wake up, sleepyhead. You need to get dressed too,” he teased. 

“Yes, you’re right.” She stood up and promptly got to the business of getting ready. 

Half an hour later, they departed from the Avenger mansion. Pietro ran with her in his arms, as he had two days ago. The experience was as stomach churning as before, but Jean was preoccupied by other thoughts. 

Once at the X-Men mansion, the team was surprised to see Jean returning with Pietro. Before Scott could say anything, Jean announced her intention to see the Professor right away. She grabbed Pietro’s hand as she said so and took him to the Professor’s study. The team, Scott included, looked at her in confusion.

Jean entered the study with some trepidation. Pietro squeezed her hand, which gave her the courage to continue. Professor X looked up from his desk, a weary smile on his face. “Ah Jean! You’ve returned! I’ve missed you this last week.”

“Yes. I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused. The truth is, I was avoiding you.” 

Professor X stared at her, ignoring Pietro who was glaring at him. “Why would you avoid me Jean? What have I done to receive this sort of treatment?”

“You know what this is about, Professor. You can read minds after all. Surely you know the turmoil I’ve felt ever since Onslaught told me your secret. My perception of you changed completely at that moment and I find that being in your presence makes me anxious…even now.”

Her voice shook as she continued, “I thought if I confronted you, then I would feel better, I could put this whole sordid mess behind me. But that’s not how I feel.” After another pause to collect her thoughts, she continued, “After the anxiety attack I suffered yesterday, I now know better than ignore my feelings.”

The Professor was getting visibly annoyed. “What are you getting at, Jean? Do you want to leave the X-men? The only home you’ve known since you were a teenager?”

Jean took a deep breath and looked to Pietro who had been patiently standing next to her, though he simmered with indignation at the professor’s comment. He looked back at her and nodded as a sign of support. A thought occurred to her: she wanted to stay with him. She didn’t know if things would work between them, if a year down the line she would regret it, but for the near future she knew she needed his unwavering support and loyalty.

“I need a break from the X-Men. Maybe I’ll come back once these feelings disappear, or maybe I’ll never come back. I can’t say for sure. All I know is that right now, this place isn’t for me. Goodbye, Professor.” She turned around and left, not allowing the Professor to convince her otherwise. Pietro followed her, though he was as astonished as the Professor with her decision. Before he could talk to her, Scott arrived, visibly distressed.

Jean could guess that the Professor had summoned him to stop her. “Jean, what are you doing? What’s the meaning of this?”

“Scott, I told you how I felt many times before, but you ignored me. You made me feel so meaningless and stupid and the worst part was that I was starting to believe it.”

“Jean, you know that as the leader of the X-Men, I can’t give every issue my undivided attention…”

Jean cut him off, “I know, Scott. I know. You have your duties but you’re supposed to be my husband. I needed you to stand by my side, and believe in me. But since you were too busy with other things, you decided to treat me like a soldier. You can’t order me to ignore my feelings, Scott, it doesn’t work like that.” She paused a moment before adding, “I need a break Scott. From us, from the X-men. I don’t know when or if I’ll come back. If that is an insufficient explanation for you, then you may file for divorce, I won’t stop you.”

Scott was dumbstruck as Jean and Pietro walked away. She decided to leave without saying goodbye to the team. She would come back and explain everything to them, but not right now, when her emotions were still running high. And in any case, she needed to pack her belongings too, so a future trip was unavoidable. 

Pietro wordlessly took her in his arms and brought her to the Avenger’s mansion. Instead of entering the house, Pietro took her for a small walk in the garden. “I didn’t expect that at all,” he immediately confessed. “When you told me you were returning this morning, I thought you meant to leave us.”

Jean blushed. “Yes, I know. The truth is, it wasn’t until I saw the Professor that I made up my mind.”

“You listened to me after all?”

“Yes, well you have good ideas occasionally,” she teased.

He smiled but then bashfully looked down at his feet. “Will you stay with us or is there someplace else you’d rather be?”

“There’s no other place I’d rather be,” she smiled.

“Really? “

“Really.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. Pietro fixed his gaze on her. He was about to say something but thought better of it and embraced her instead. 


End file.
